Libraries have unparalleled potential in playing a majorrole in promoting local literacy efforts, as well as part-nering with local literacy providers. Public libraries area trusted community agency that can provide a safe,non-judgmental space for learning, in addition toresources for children, youth and adults of any readinglevel. Recently, the Secretary of State’s Illinois StateLibrary Literacy Office sought out information fromIllinois public libraries concerning their involvement inand knowledge of the office’s Adult Literacy GrantProgram.

Each year, all Illinois public libraries are required tocomplete and submit the Illinois Public Library AnnualReport (IPLAR) and can also apply for the Illinois PublicLibrary Per Capita and Equalization Aid grants. In 2018,the Literacy Office included survey questions in theIPLAR that focused on the literacy grant program. ThePublic Library Per Capita Grant application included arequirement for public libraries to review the literacygrant program, provide a description of the library’s cur-rent or planned services to accommodate low-literate

As a former educator, I understand the importance of teachers improving their knowl-edge and skills through continued education. I am proud to provide 10 literacy practi-tioners with the opportunity to learn new strategies for instructing adult learners andto network with peers from many communities during a conference in Springfield.

Libraries continue to be an integral part of communities in Illinois. The Illinois StateLibrary’s Literacy Office ensures that public libraries and literacy programs worktogether to meet the needs of low-literate adults. The benefits of these potential part-nerships cannot be quantified in dollars and cents. Everyone benefits when these enti-ties work together to overcome a very real problem that affects approximately 2.1 million Illinois residents.

This summer please take the opportunity to encourage families to participate in a summer reading pro-gram at their local public library. Also, it is not too early to start planning for Family Reading Night this fall.Please check out the poster for this year’s event, which continues iREAD’s summer theme of “It’sShowtime at Your Library.”

Enjoy your summer.

Jesse WhiteSecretary of State & State Librarian

Jesse WhiteSecretary of State & State Librarian

LITE

RAC

YIL

LIN

OIS

SUMMER2019

Public libraries and the Illinois State Library literacy effort

Secretary White distributes books to promote literacy and libraries.

To subscribe to Illinois Literacy, call 217-785-6921 or 800-665-5576 (Illinois only), #3.

14

ON THE HORIZON

More literacy event information is available at:https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/literacy/home.html(click Calendar of Literacy Events).

August 9 – Illinois Conference on Volunteer Administration, Chicago,

http://www.icova.info

September – National Literacy Month

September 8 – International Literacy Day,

https://www.literacyworldwide.org/meetings-events/international-literacy-day

September 22-28 – National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week,

https://national-coalition-literacy.org/adult-education-and-family-literacy-week/

September 24-25 – Illinois Center for Specialized Professional Support, Forum

for Excellence, Normal, https://icsps.illinoisstate.edu/forum-for-excellence

October 3-4 – Illinois Reading Council Conference, Peoria,

http://www.illinoisreadingcouncil.org/conference.html

October 10-13 – International Literacy Association Annual Conference,

New Orleans, LA, https://www.literacyworldwide.org/conference

wwwhttps://www.ireadprogram.orgThe theme for this year’s Illinois LibraryAssociation’s iREAD summer reading program is “It’s Showtime atYour Library.” You can find a wealth of original graphics, activities,reading lists, and more for children, teensand adults.

http://libguides.ala.org/summer-reading/The American Library Association provides a number of resourcesfor literacy programs wanting to have learners and families partic-ipate in summer reading and summer reading activities.

https://www.cslpreads.orgThe Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) is a consortiumof states working together to provide high-quality summer readingprogram materials at the lowest cost possible for public libraries.

Printed by authority of the State of Illinois. July 2019 — 1 — LDL 18

Illinois Literacy is a publication of the Secretary of State, Illinois State Library Literacy Office.

Jesse White, Secretary of State and State LibrarianGreg McCormick, Director, Illinois State Library

To subscribe to Illinois Literacy, call 217-785-6921 or 800-665-5576 (Illinois only), #3.

Produced by the Communications Department.

Family Reading NightThe Illinois State Library’s Illinois Center forthe Book (ICB) and the Illinois LibraryAssociation (ILA) are once again partneringto continue the iREAD Summer ReadingProgram theme through Family ReadingNight (FRN), the annual celebration offamilies reading together that is held onthe third Thursday of November. Schools,libraries, and youth and literacy organiza-tions across the state will host a varietyof FRN programs on Thursday, Nov. 21,that highlight the “It’s Showtime at YourLibrary” theme.

It is not too early to start planning yourevent for the fall. Posters and bookmarks will be mailed to literacy organizations, schools and public libraries in preparation for the event.Activity suggestions to help organizations plan for the event along withdownloadable versions of the poster and bookmark are available athttp://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/center_for_the_book/frn.html.FRN is sponsored by Illinois Secretary of State and State Librarian JesseWhite and the Illinois State Library’s ICB in cooperation with iREAD andIllinois Reads, a project of the Illinois Reading Council.

Night of 1,000 Stars celebrates its 24thanniversary

Members of the literacycoalitions in Chicago gath-ered at the HaroldWashington Library Center inMay to celebrate the 24th annual Night of 1,000 Stars.The event brings members ofthe North Side, South Sideand West Side literacy coali-tions together for a night ofcelebrating adult learner andprogram achievements. TheChicago Citywide LiteracyCoalition (CCLC) coordinatedthe celebration. CCLC program director DenaGiacometti served as theemcee for the event.

The event included performances from adult learners representing LiteracyChicago, Indo American Center and Erie Neighborhood House. Featured per-formances consisted of a comedy skit, poetry recitals and personal testi-monies from learners on their successes in adult education and learningEnglish as a second language. The highlight of the evening was the inspiringwords from 71-year-old Timothy Warren from the Tolton Center, who is cur-rently working on completing his high school equivalency certificate. Warrenexpressed to everyone that age is only a number and that it is never too lateto learn and improve your knowledge through education.

For more information on the literacy coalitions in the Chicago area as well asevents and continuing education opportunities, visit the CCLC’s website athttp://www.chicagocitywideliteracy.com/.

Adult learner Timothy Warren and his wife, LaTosha, at theNight of 1000 Stars.

(continued on page 2)

English speaking and/or English as a second language (ESL) patrons,and request a follow-up discussion by State Library staff. The goalof gathering this information was not only to measure involvementand knowledge, but also to try and encourage libraries to becomeinvolved in the literacy effort and increase their awareness of liter-acy providers in their service area.

IPLAR ResultsResponses were received from 625 libraries and include some ofthe following results:

It was established that 275 libraries house a high-interest, low-reading level collection and that 296 libraries have a bilingual col-lection. This indicates that there are a significant number of publiclibraries that have available resources that are appropriate for low-level readers, regardless of age or English-language ability, as wellas materials for tutors to use with Adult Basic Education (ABE) andESL learners.

Additionally, the survey revealed that 203 public libraries employbilingual staff, which is helpful making learners feel comfortable inaccessing library services on their own. Removing the communica-tion barrier can be pivotal in expanding library and literacy servicesinto an isolated community of immigrants and non-native Englishspeakers.

Impressively, 362 libraries reported providing family literacy pro-gramming. Although these programs may differ from the IllinoisState Library Penny Severns Family Literacy Program model with itsfive components, this is a good indication that libraries recognizethe benefit of multi-generational programming and would beamenable to partnering with a literacy program to provide literacyprograms specifically designed for families.

Public Library per Capita Grant ResultsResponses were received from 630 libraries, with 142 requesting afollow-up conversation from Literacy Office staff. In these conver-sations with libraries, the following was learned:

• A majority of the 142 libraries think of literacy as only ESL and did not equate literacy with low-literate, native English speakers.• Many were not confident that there was a need for literacy in their areas and wanted help in identifying the need.

Literacy Office staff took the opportunity during these conversationsto educate these libraries on the literacy need statewide and to pro-vide tips for identifying individuals with literacy needs, as well asappropriate resources for assisting those individuals. Staff contacted local literacy programs within each library’s service areato facilitate partnerships.

The results from both surveys indicate that statewide, libraries bothlarge and small are eager to serve all patrons in their service area– regardless of the citizen’s ability to read, write or speak English.Over 425 libraries are interested in doing more in their communitiesrelated to literacy including forming some sort of partnership withliteracy agencies. The advantages of a partnership to provide liter-acy services are endless. The Illinois State Library’s Literacy Officecontinues to work with both libraries and literacy providers to facil-itate partnerships to ensure literacy services are easily available forthose residents who are in need.

Information on the Illinois State Library’s Adult Literacy Grant Programis available online at:

https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/literacy/home.htmlor by calling 800-665-5576, extension 3.

ILLI

NO

IS L

ITER

ACY

SUM

MER

201

9

2 3

Public libraries and the Illinois State Library literacy effort - cont.

The Illinois State Library’s Literacy Office gave individuals who work for lit-eracy programs the opportunity to apply for scholarships to attend theannual Illinois Adult and Continuing Educators Association (IACEA) confer-ence held in Springfield. Ten scholarships were awarded and provided win-ners the opportunity to build professional development and to networkwith literacy practitioners from around the state. Applications for thescholarships were received from literacy programs statewide and covereda wide range of staff positions and organizations. Scholarships wereawarded to the following individuals:

• Charlene Choi, Hanul Family Alliance, Chicago• Barbara Dorris, Lewis & Clark Community College, Godfrey• Cole Jacques, Albany Park Community Center, Chicago• Jasbir Mann, Metropolitan Asian Family Services, Schaumburg• Cindy La, Asian Human Services, Chicago• Addie Placido, Urbana Adult Education, Urbana• Katie Maranzana, Centro Romero, Chicago• Patti Wragg, Kishwaukee College, Malta• Katie Neginskiy, Heartland Human Care Services, Inc., Chicago• Harry Kent, St. Joseph Services, Chicago

“Continuing education is such an important part of career development,”said Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White. “My office isproud to provide these individuals with the opportunity to expand theirknowledge and incorporate what they learn into making their literacy pro-grams stronger.”

Some of the scholarship winners shared what attending the conferencemeant to them:

Cindy La – “IACEA was a great conference that gave me a chance to connectwith providers from throughout the state. I found the session on technologyto be very helpful, as it provided many tips for how to incorporate technologyinto the classroom. I immediately took that information and shared it with mystaff to start implementing these ideas into our program.”

Addie Placido – “I found it very helpful to hear ideas and feedback from

other programs about administering the TABE 11/12 student assessmenttest. I will be using the strategies I learned from others, in order to make itless overwhelming for students.”

Katie Maranzana – “Two sessions stood out to me as really helpful. The firstwas the “Psychology of Scarcity” training. I knew the basics, but it was real-ly good to explore in detail why students sometimes behave in certain waysand make questionable decisions. I plan to incorporate this information intoour next teacher training to discuss possible interventions to help our stu-dents achieve success. The other session covered basic readers. I learnednew strategies and skills that can be applied in the classroom.”

Patti Wragg – “Each session I attended provided some nugget of informa-tion or strategy to bring back to my colleagues at Kishwaukee College. I planto use what I learned at the conference as a resource for volunteers andimplement ideas into our program for lessons and curriculum planning.”

Katie Neginskiy – “I have been working on developing online courses,because we have such a demand for online ESL from students workingmultiple jobs, with childcare issues or with disabilities that prevent themfrom coming to class. I was having trouble figuring out a plan that wouldwork for my staff, our students and our funders. Thanks to a session on thistopic, I was able to figure out the missing pieces for the program that Ihave been envisioning.”

Harry Kent – “Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the conference wasbeing able to learn about the work of many different organizations that I hadthe opportunity to learn about and I got to meet their wonderful representa-tives. I am grateful for the chance to meet fellow program coordinators fromChicago and around the state of Illinois, as the value of the work was over-whelmingly affirmed by the stories and experiences that I heard about fromthe different types of programs represented at the conference.”

The annual conference is held in early March and provides three daysof continuing education opportunities for adult literacy practi-tioners. For more information on IACEA and future confer-ences, please visit its website at https://www.iacea.net/.

(Front Row) Pictured are the 10 scholarship winners, listed in the story below, joined by Illinois State Library Literacy Office staff (Back Row).

Scholarship winners attend IACEA Conference

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

No

English speaking and/or English as a second language (ESL) patrons,and request a follow-up discussion by State Library staff. The goalof gathering this information was not only to measure involvementand knowledge, but also to try and encourage libraries to becomeinvolved in the literacy effort and increase their awareness of liter-acy providers in their service area.

IPLAR ResultsResponses were received from 625 libraries and include some ofthe following results:

It was established that 275 libraries house a high-interest, low-reading level collection and that 296 libraries have a bilingual col-lection. This indicates that there are a significant number of publiclibraries that have available resources that are appropriate for low-level readers, regardless of age or English-language ability, as wellas materials for tutors to use with Adult Basic Education (ABE) andESL learners.

Additionally, the survey revealed that 203 public libraries employbilingual staff, which is helpful making learners feel comfortable inaccessing library services on their own. Removing the communica-tion barrier can be pivotal in expanding library and literacy servicesinto an isolated community of immigrants and non-native Englishspeakers.

Impressively, 362 libraries reported providing family literacy pro-gramming. Although these programs may differ from the IllinoisState Library Penny Severns Family Literacy Program model with itsfive components, this is a good indication that libraries recognizethe benefit of multi-generational programming and would beamenable to partnering with a literacy program to provide literacyprograms specifically designed for families.

Public Library per Capita Grant ResultsResponses were received from 630 libraries, with 142 requesting afollow-up conversation from Literacy Office staff. In these conver-sations with libraries, the following was learned:

• A majority of the 142 libraries think of literacy as only ESL and did not equate literacy with low-literate, native English speakers.• Many were not confident that there was a need for literacy in their areas and wanted help in identifying the need.

Literacy Office staff took the opportunity during these conversationsto educate these libraries on the literacy need statewide and to pro-vide tips for identifying individuals with literacy needs, as well asappropriate resources for assisting those individuals. Staff contacted local literacy programs within each library’s service areato facilitate partnerships.

The results from both surveys indicate that statewide, libraries bothlarge and small are eager to serve all patrons in their service area– regardless of the citizen’s ability to read, write or speak English.Over 425 libraries are interested in doing more in their communitiesrelated to literacy including forming some sort of partnership withliteracy agencies. The advantages of a partnership to provide liter-acy services are endless. The Illinois State Library’s Literacy Officecontinues to work with both libraries and literacy providers to facil-itate partnerships to ensure literacy services are easily available forthose residents who are in need.

Information on the Illinois State Library’s Adult Literacy Grant Programis available online at:

https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/literacy/home.htmlor by calling 800-665-5576, extension 3.

ILLI

NO

IS L

ITER

ACY

SUM

MER

201

9

2 3

Public libraries and the Illinois State Library literacy effort - cont.

The Illinois State Library’s Literacy Office gave individuals who work for lit-eracy programs the opportunity to apply for scholarships to attend theannual Illinois Adult and Continuing Educators Association (IACEA) confer-ence held in Springfield. Ten scholarships were awarded and provided win-ners the opportunity to build professional development and to networkwith literacy practitioners from around the state. Applications for thescholarships were received from literacy programs statewide and covereda wide range of staff positions and organizations. Scholarships wereawarded to the following individuals:

• Charlene Choi, Hanul Family Alliance, Chicago• Barbara Dorris, Lewis & Clark Community College, Godfrey• Cole Jacques, Albany Park Community Center, Chicago• Jasbir Mann, Metropolitan Asian Family Services, Schaumburg• Cindy La, Asian Human Services, Chicago• Addie Placido, Urbana Adult Education, Urbana• Katie Maranzana, Centro Romero, Chicago• Patti Wragg, Kishwaukee College, Malta• Katie Neginskiy, Heartland Human Care Services, Inc., Chicago• Harry Kent, St. Joseph Services, Chicago

“Continuing education is such an important part of career development,”said Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White. “My office isproud to provide these individuals with the opportunity to expand theirknowledge and incorporate what they learn into making their literacy pro-grams stronger.”

Some of the scholarship winners shared what attending the conferencemeant to them:

Cindy La – “IACEA was a great conference that gave me a chance to connectwith providers from throughout the state. I found the session on technologyto be very helpful, as it provided many tips for how to incorporate technologyinto the classroom. I immediately took that information and shared it with mystaff to start implementing these ideas into our program.”

Addie Placido – “I found it very helpful to hear ideas and feedback from

other programs about administering the TABE 11/12 student assessmenttest. I will be using the strategies I learned from others, in order to make itless overwhelming for students.”

Katie Maranzana – “Two sessions stood out to me as really helpful. The firstwas the “Psychology of Scarcity” training. I knew the basics, but it was real-ly good to explore in detail why students sometimes behave in certain waysand make questionable decisions. I plan to incorporate this information intoour next teacher training to discuss possible interventions to help our stu-dents achieve success. The other session covered basic readers. I learnednew strategies and skills that can be applied in the classroom.”

Patti Wragg – “Each session I attended provided some nugget of informa-tion or strategy to bring back to my colleagues at Kishwaukee College. I planto use what I learned at the conference as a resource for volunteers andimplement ideas into our program for lessons and curriculum planning.”

Katie Neginskiy – “I have been working on developing online courses,because we have such a demand for online ESL from students workingmultiple jobs, with childcare issues or with disabilities that prevent themfrom coming to class. I was having trouble figuring out a plan that wouldwork for my staff, our students and our funders. Thanks to a session on thistopic, I was able to figure out the missing pieces for the program that Ihave been envisioning.”

Harry Kent – “Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the conference wasbeing able to learn about the work of many different organizations that I hadthe opportunity to learn about and I got to meet their wonderful representa-tives. I am grateful for the chance to meet fellow program coordinators fromChicago and around the state of Illinois, as the value of the work was over-whelmingly affirmed by the stories and experiences that I heard about fromthe different types of programs represented at the conference.”

The annual conference is held in early March and provides three daysof continuing education opportunities for adult literacy practi-tioners. For more information on IACEA and future confer-ences, please visit its website at https://www.iacea.net/.

(Front Row) Pictured are the 10 scholarship winners, listed in the story below, joined by Illinois State Library Literacy Office staff (Back Row).

Scholarship winners attend IACEA Conference

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

No

Libraries have unparalleled potential in playing a majorrole in promoting local literacy efforts, as well as part-nering with local literacy providers. Public libraries area trusted community agency that can provide a safe,non-judgmental space for learning, in addition toresources for children, youth and adults of any readinglevel. Recently, the Secretary of State’s Illinois StateLibrary Literacy Office sought out information fromIllinois public libraries concerning their involvement inand knowledge of the office’s Adult Literacy GrantProgram.

Each year, all Illinois public libraries are required tocomplete and submit the Illinois Public Library AnnualReport (IPLAR) and can also apply for the Illinois PublicLibrary Per Capita and Equalization Aid grants. In 2018,the Literacy Office included survey questions in theIPLAR that focused on the literacy grant program. ThePublic Library Per Capita Grant application included arequirement for public libraries to review the literacygrant program, provide a description of the library’s cur-rent or planned services to accommodate low-literate

As a former educator, I understand the importance of teachers improving their knowl-edge and skills through continued education. I am proud to provide 10 literacy practi-tioners with the opportunity to learn new strategies for instructing adult learners andto network with peers from many communities during a conference in Springfield.

Libraries continue to be an integral part of communities in Illinois. The Illinois StateLibrary’s Literacy Office ensures that public libraries and literacy programs worktogether to meet the needs of low-literate adults. The benefits of these potential part-nerships cannot be quantified in dollars and cents. Everyone benefits when these enti-ties work together to overcome a very real problem that affects approximately 2.1 million Illinois residents.

This summer please take the opportunity to encourage families to participate in a summer reading pro-gram at their local public library. Also, it is not too early to start planning for Family Reading Night this fall.Please check out the poster for this year’s event, which continues iREAD’s summer theme of “It’sShowtime at Your Library.”

Enjoy your summer.

Jesse WhiteSecretary of State & State Librarian

Jesse WhiteSecretary of State & State Librarian

LITE

RAC

YIL

LIN

OIS

SUMMER2019

Public libraries and the Illinois State Library literacy effort

Secretary White distributes books to promote literacy and libraries.

To subscribe to Illinois Literacy, call 217-785-6921 or 800-665-5576 (Illinois only), #3.

14

ON THE HORIZON

More literacy event information is available at:https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/literacy/home.html(click Calendar of Literacy Events).

August 9 – Illinois Conference on Volunteer Administration, Chicago,

http://www.icova.info

September – National Literacy Month

September 8 – International Literacy Day,

https://www.literacyworldwide.org/meetings-events/international-literacy-day

September 22-28 – National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week,

https://national-coalition-literacy.org/adult-education-and-family-literacy-week/

September 24-25 – Illinois Center for Specialized Professional Support, Forum

for Excellence, Normal, https://icsps.illinoisstate.edu/forum-for-excellence

October 3-4 – Illinois Reading Council Conference, Peoria,

http://www.illinoisreadingcouncil.org/conference.html

October 10-13 – International Literacy Association Annual Conference,

New Orleans, LA, https://www.literacyworldwide.org/conference

wwwhttps://www.ireadprogram.orgThe theme for this year’s Illinois LibraryAssociation’s iREAD summer reading program is “It’s Showtime atYour Library.” You can find a wealth of original graphics, activities,reading lists, and more for children, teensand adults.

http://libguides.ala.org/summer-reading/The American Library Association provides a number of resourcesfor literacy programs wanting to have learners and families partic-ipate in summer reading and summer reading activities.

https://www.cslpreads.orgThe Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) is a consortiumof states working together to provide high-quality summer readingprogram materials at the lowest cost possible for public libraries.

Printed by authority of the State of Illinois. July 2019 — 1 — LDL 18

Illinois Literacy is a publication of the Secretary of State, Illinois State Library Literacy Office.

Jesse White, Secretary of State and State LibrarianGreg McCormick, Director, Illinois State Library

To subscribe to Illinois Literacy, call 217-785-6921 or 800-665-5576 (Illinois only), #3.

Produced by the Communications Department.

Family Reading NightThe Illinois State Library’s Illinois Center forthe Book (ICB) and the Illinois LibraryAssociation (ILA) are once again partneringto continue the iREAD Summer ReadingProgram theme through Family ReadingNight (FRN), the annual celebration offamilies reading together that is held onthe third Thursday of November. Schools,libraries, and youth and literacy organiza-tions across the state will host a varietyof FRN programs on Thursday, Nov. 21,that highlight the “It’s Showtime at YourLibrary” theme.

It is not too early to start planning yourevent for the fall. Posters and bookmarks will be mailed to literacy organizations, schools and public libraries in preparation for the event.Activity suggestions to help organizations plan for the event along withdownloadable versions of the poster and bookmark are available athttp://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/center_for_the_book/frn.html.FRN is sponsored by Illinois Secretary of State and State Librarian JesseWhite and the Illinois State Library’s ICB in cooperation with iREAD andIllinois Reads, a project of the Illinois Reading Council.

Night of 1,000 Stars celebrates its 24thanniversary

Members of the literacycoalitions in Chicago gath-ered at the HaroldWashington Library Center inMay to celebrate the 24th annual Night of 1,000 Stars.The event brings members ofthe North Side, South Sideand West Side literacy coali-tions together for a night ofcelebrating adult learner andprogram achievements. TheChicago Citywide LiteracyCoalition (CCLC) coordinatedthe celebration. CCLC program director DenaGiacometti served as theemcee for the event.

The event included performances from adult learners representing LiteracyChicago, Indo American Center and Erie Neighborhood House. Featured per-formances consisted of a comedy skit, poetry recitals and personal testi-monies from learners on their successes in adult education and learningEnglish as a second language. The highlight of the evening was the inspiringwords from 71-year-old Timothy Warren from the Tolton Center, who is cur-rently working on completing his high school equivalency certificate. Warrenexpressed to everyone that age is only a number and that it is never too lateto learn and improve your knowledge through education.

For more information on the literacy coalitions in the Chicago area as well asevents and continuing education opportunities, visit the CCLC’s website athttp://www.chicagocitywideliteracy.com/.

Adult learner Timothy Warren and his wife, LaTosha, at theNight of 1000 Stars.

(continued on page 2)